Method of mounting cabinet drawer rollers

ABSTRACT

A pair of roller assemblies for supporting a drawer on the crossrail of a cabinet includes right and left-hand roller brackets which are manufactured as a unitary assembly held together by a frangible web. When mounting the roller assemblies in the cabinet, first one bracket is secured to the crossrail and then the other bracket is broken loose from the mounted bracket along the web and thus is freed for mounting on the crossrail.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,893,218

Bildahl 1 July 8, 1975 [54] METHOD OF MOUNTING CABINET 3,052,966 9/1962 Cronan 29/418 X 3,537,721 11/1970 Wamern... 16/18 R x DRAWER ROLLERS 3,559,802 2/1971 Eidus l6/l8 a x [75] In entor: Richard L. dahl, Rockford. Ill. 3,609,861 10/1971 Allison 29/413 x [73] Assignee: Amerock Corporation, Rockford, Ill. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22 Filed; May 1 1974 386,217 12/1923 Germany 29/413 Appl. 190.; 470,578

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 249,700, May 2, 1972, Pat. No. 3,849,832.

US. Cl. 29/413; 29/D1G. 20; 29/526 Int. Cl 823p 17/00 Field of Search 29/DlG. 20, 413, 418, 526; 16/18 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1949 Blattner 29/D1G. 2O UX 11/1955 Smith A 29/418 X Hulbert 16/18 R UX Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Attorney, Agent, or FirmWolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit & Osann, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT A pair of roller assemblies for supporting a drawer on the crossrail of a cabinet includes right and left-hand roller brackets which are manufactured as a unitary assembly held together by a frangible web. When mounting the roller assemblies in the cabinet, first one bracket is secured to the crossrail and then the other bracket is broken loose from the mounted bracket along the web and thus is freed for mounting on the crossrail.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METHOD OF MOUNTING CABINET DRAWER ROLLERS This is a division of application Ser. No. 249,700., filed May 2. 1972 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,832.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to roller assemblies such as may be used in a cabinet to support a drawer for rolling in and out of the cabinet. More particularly. the invention relates to right and left-hand roller assemblies which are mounted by brackets at opposite ends of a crossrail to support the drawer for rolling above the crossrail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general aim of the present invention is to provide a novel assembly comprising a pair of roller assemblies of the above general character which is less expensive to produce and may be installed more rapidly than prior pairs of assemblies of the same general type. More particularly. the primary object of this invention is to provide an roller assembly which in comparison with prior roller assemblies requires fewer steps for installation on the cabinet and thus substantially reduces the time and effort required for installation.

A more detailed object is to accomplish the foregoing through the provision of an assembly in which the two roller assemblies are constructed as a unitary piece with the brackets of the two roller assemblies connected together in a unique manner whereby the as sembly may be handled initially as one piece and, then after installing the first of the roller assemblies. the brackets may be separated for installation of the second of the roller assemblies.

The invention also resides in the use of a unique web which normally holds the two brackets together as the unitary piece and which is frangible so that the brackets can be broken loose from each other during an intermediate step in the installation procedure. With this unique construction, both roller assemblies may be picked up in one motion and. after the first bracket is mounted on one end of the crossrail, the second bracket can be broken loose from the first bracket along the web and quickly installed on the other end of the crossrail.

Further, from the manufacturers and suppliers standpoint. the invention insures a balance of left and right-hand rollers.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a fragmentary elevational view of a drawer mounted in a cabinet and supported on a roller assembly embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the roller assembly shown during an intermediate step of installation.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration. the present invention is embodied in a pair of roller assemblies I0 used to support a drawer II for rolling in a cabinet 13. Typically. the drawer rolls in and out of the cabinet through an opening 14 in the front wall 15 of the cabinet. A guide roller 16 secured to the back of the drawer rides within a channel 17 thereby supporting the back end of the drawer. At the front ofthe cabinet, at crossrail l9 spans the bottom of the opening and the two roller assemblies are attached adjacent opposite ends of the crossrail to support the drawer to roll above the crossrail. The guide channel is fastened at its forward end to the crossrail and at its rearward end to the backwall 20 of the cabinet. Upper and lower walls 21 in the channel are separated by a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the guide roller with the lower wall normally providing vertical support for the drawer. When the drawer is extended out of the cabinet, the upper wall blocks the guide roller from moving upwardly and thereby prevents the drawer from tipping about the roller assemblies.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the exemplary embodiment employs right and left-hand roller assemblies 10a and 10b respectively to support the right and left-hand sides of the drawer II. Since the assemblies are simply mirror images of each other. hereinafter only one of the assemblies will be described in detail with the understanding that such description applies equally well to both the right and left-hand roller assemblies unless specified otherwise.

Herein. each one of the roller assemblies 10 includes a bracket 23 with a roller 24 journaled thereon to support the drawer II for rolling in and out of the cabinet 13. More particularly, the bracket includes a generally inverted L-shaped body (see FIG. 3) with a generally horizontal upper leg 26 having one end integrally joined with a depending vertical leg 27. As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal leg includes several openings 29 for receiving fasteners such as screws or staples to secure the bracket on the crossrail 19. Typically. the bracket is positioned adjacent one end of the crossrail with the horizontal leg fastened to the upper surface 30 of the crossrail and with the vertical leg abutting the inner surface 31 of the crossrail.

Integrally formed with the vertical leg 27 is a pair of parallel arms 33 which extend outwardly therefrom at right angles away from the upper leg 26 and toward the backwall 20 of the cabinet I3. The roller 24 is journaled between the arms on a pin 34 defining a substantially horizontal axis. The roller may be formed of molded nylon and includes a circumferential flange 35 extending radially outwardly from one side thereof. In the left-hand one of the roller assemblies 1017, the flange 35 is formed on the left-hand side of the roller and, similarly, the flange of the right-hand one of the assemblies 10a is formed on the right-hand side of the roller. When the two roller assemblies are installed on the crossrail 19, the flanges together serve as guides extending upwardly along opposite sides of the drawer to prevent the drawer from moving sideways in the cabinet while the bottom of the drawer rides on top of the rollers.

In accordance with the primary aspect of the present invention. the two roller assemblies 10a and 10!) are connected together in a novel manner to form a unitary assembly 36 and thereby enable the two roller assemblies to be installed in the cabinet l3 much more quickly and with less effort than was possible heretofore. For these purposes, the assemblies are connected together by a frangible web 37 which when broken separates the assembly into the two roller assemblies for mounting in the cabinet. Time and effort is saved when installing the assemblies by installing one of the assemblies before the web is brokenv In this way. the steps normally required to install the separate roller assemblies are reduced substantially and, as a consequence, so is the amount of time required for installation of the assemblies.

In the present instance, the two roller brackets 23 are stamped out of the same piece of sheet metal as a single unit with the web 37 joining the brackets together. One advantage in the stamping out the brackets together as one piece is a savings in production costs since the right and left-hand roller assemblies 10a and 10b can be processed as one part. In addition, the inventories of the assemblies always remain balanced since the right and left-hand roller assemblies are produced in equal numhers.

Preferably, the web 37 is formed as an incident to the stamping out process by crimping the metal between the two brackets 23 to produce a V-shaped crease 39. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the crease laterally bisects the piece of metal forming the two brackets and includes two sides 40 which diverge from each other upon progressing upwardly from below the upper surfaces ofthe brackets. More particularly, the sides intersect each other at an included angle a of about 90 to form the bottom of the crease at a depth approximately equal to one-third of the thickness of the brackets. With this arrangement, the brackets can be bent toward each other through a relative are of approximately 90 before the sides 40 engage each other closing the crease. It has been found that this degree of relative bending is more than sufficient to snap the web 37 and thereby free the brackets from each other.

One series of steps that may be followed to install the roller assemblies [a and h in the cabinet 13 begins by picking up the unitary roller assembly 36 such as with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand grasping the arms 33 and around the roller 24 of the right-hand roller bracket 23. This leaves the left-hand roller bracket extending away from the hand for insertion into the cabinet through the opening 14. Once inserted, the left-hand bracket may be pulled back with the vertical leg 27 engaging the inner surface 31 of the cross piece 19 to position the upper leg 26 and the openings 29 on the upper surface adjacent the left end of the crosspiece. By holding around the right-hand bracket in this fashion, the left-hand and fingers are positioned conveniently out-of-the-way to enable the left-hand bracket to be stapled or otherwise easily fastened to the crosspiece.

Once the left-hand bracket 23 is fastened in position, the righthand bracket may be snapped loose simply by pulling upwardly on the assembly 36 with the left-hand. Then, while still holding the arms 33 with the left-hand, the right-hand bracket may be positioned on the righthand end of the crosspiece 19 by inserting the left-hand into the cabinet and turning the bracket to face the roller 24 rearwardly so that the vertical leg 27 faces toward the inner surface 3l of the crosspiece. Thereafter,

while pushing the vertical leg against the crosspiece, the upper leg 26 can be stapled through the openings 29 to secure the right-hand bracket against the upper surface of the crosspiece,

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the unitary roller assembly 36 of the present invention can be installed in the cabinet 13 much more quickly and with less effort than prior arrangements because fewer steps are required to install both roller assemblies 10a and 1011. Only one motion is required to pick up both roller assemblies and both assemblies can be held easily in one hand out-of-the-way of each other. Moreover, in the exemplary embodiment wasted motion is eliminated by avoiding having to pick up the right-hand one of the roller assemblies after stapling the left-hand one of the roller assemblies to the crossrail 19 since the right-hand bracket 23 is in hand and may may be freed for installation simply by snapping the web 37. Thus for instance, with one hand holding a stapler and the other hand holding the roller assemblies, both hands may be kept constantly busy so that the assemblies can be installed in a much shorter period of time.

I claim1 l. A method for mounting in a cabinet a roller assembly having a first bracket with a roller journalcd thereon at one end, said bracket being integrally connected by a frangible web at the other end to a second similar bracket, said method comprising, attaching one of said brackets in a predetermined first position on said cabinet, breaking the frangible web to free the other of said brackets from said one bracket, and securing said other bracket in a second predetermined position on said cabinet.

2. A method for mounting a roller assembly having first and second brackets with rollers to support a drawer in a cabinet, said method comprising the steps of picking up the assembly, positioning the first bracket on the cabinet in a first predetermined location for engagement with and to support the drawer, holding the first bracket in said location without releasing the second bracket, securing the first bracket to the cabinet in said first location, breaking the second bracket loose from the first bracket along a frangible web normally connecting the two brackets together, positioning the second bracket on the cabinet in a second predetermined location for engagement with and to support the drawer, and securing the second bracket to the cabinet in said position.

3. A method for mounting on the erossrail of a cabinet a roller assembly having a right-hand bracket with a right-hand rollerjoumaled thereon at one end and integrally connected to a left-hand bracket of similar construction at the other end by means of a frangible web, said method comprising the steps of picking up the assembly, positioning the one of brackets on the crossrail adjacent one end thereof for the roller journaled on said one bracket to engage with the bottom of the drawer to support the drawer on the crossrail, securing the said one bracket in said position while grasping the opposite hand bracket to hold said one bracket in said position, bending the opposite hand bracket relative to the mounted bracket to break the web and, thereby free the said opposite hand bracket from the mounted bracket, positioning the opposite hand bracket on the crossrail adjacent the other end thereof for the roller journaled on said opposite hand bracket to engage with the bottom of the drawer to support the drawer on the crossrail, and securing the opposite'hand bracket to the crossrail in said lattermentioned position. 

1. A method for mounting in a cabinet a roller assembly having a first bracket with a roller journaled thereon at one end, said bracket being integrally connected by a frangible web at the other end to a second similar bracket, said method comprising, attaching one of said brackets in a predetermined first position on said cabinet, breaking the frangible web to free the other of said brackets from said one bracket, and securing said other bracket in a second predetermined position on said cabinet.
 2. A method for mounting a roller assembly having first and second brackets with rollers to support a drawer in a cabinet, said method comprising the steps of picking up the assembly, positioning the first bracket on the cabinet in a first predetermined location for engagement with and to support the drawer, holding the first bracket in said location without releasing the second bracket, securing the first bracket to the cabinet in said first location, breaking the second bracket loose from the first bracket along a frangible web normally connecting the two brackets together, positioning the second bracket on the cabinet in a second predetermined location for engagement with and to support the drawer, and securing the second bracket to the cabinet in said position.
 3. A method for mounting on the crossrail of a cabinet a roller assembly having a right-hand bracket with a right-hand roller journaled thereon at one end and integrally connected to a left-hand bracket of similar construction at the other end by means of a frangible web, said method comprising the steps of picking up the assembly, positioning the one of brackets on the crossrail adjacent one end thereof for the roller journaled on said one bracket to engage with the bottom of the drawer to support the drawer on the crossrail, securing the said one bracket in said position while grasping the opposite hand bracket to hold said one bracket in said position, bending the opposite hand bracket relative to the mounted bracket to break the web and, thereby free the said opposite hand bracket from the mounted bracket, positioning the opposite hand bracket on the crossrail adjacent the other end thereof for the roller journaled on said opposite hand bracket to engage with the bottom of the drawer to support the drawer on the crossrail, and securing the opposite hand bracket to the crossrail in said lattermentioned position. 